French Knots + Pillows = Awesome

Quilted pillows have become extremely popular items over on Flickr. Sewists seem to love the more manageable nature of pillow projects versus full-sized quilts -- you can design and make a pillow in a single sitting, trying new techniques and fabric combinations along the way. It's (nearly) instant gratification! This trend is no doubt fueled by the wildly popular Pillow Talk Swap, an online swap that showcases pillows from some supremely talented crafters and is a neverending source of inspiration.

Today I'd like to highlight some amazing pillows made by Rebecca (badecca on Flickr) that feature both amazing fabric combinations and inspired touches of embroidery. I'd love to have a few of these in my home!

French knot bursts is a feature that Rebecca uses liberally in her projects. I love the dark, masculine color scheme of this pillow and the understated yet effective touch of embroidery.

Here's another take on her French knot bursts, introducing orange to add a beautiful and bright color element:

This is a great "in-process" shot, illustrating how Rebecca might think through her color and fabric selections:

LOVE how the small red pindots are pulled into the French knot element here:

Rebecca doesn't only do French knots, though. Here is a pair of pillows featuring a fascinating shark design:

I know this is an embroidery blog, but I couldn't help but share a picture of these two pillows, featuring some of my favorite Joel Dewberry fabric and made from traditional Japanese quilt block patterns:

Some more Japanese quilt block-inspired pillows:

And finally, here's a pillow featuring an embroidered sketch of Rebecca's so masterfully integrated into the pillow design:

Want to tackle a quick and easy sewing project that can showcase one of your embroidered pieces? Consider a pillow!

Patterns: some recent patterns from Feeling Stitchy bloggers

1. Spring Birds - new pattern by Carina at Polka & Bloom,

2. Tales from the Forest by Nicole at Follow the White Bunny,

3. mr. fantastic stitched by Claudia Marchan from Sublime Stitching's Ryan Berkley patterns

The Feeling Stitchy bloggers have been busy over the last few months releasing some lovely new patterns; Carina from Polka & Bloom has released two birdie patterns which I think would look great on a pair of cushions and Nicole from Follow the White Bunny has released Tales from the Forest which I think would look great in a child's bedroom.

Feeling Stitchy guest blogger Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching has released loads of new patterns over the last few months, it has been particularly great to see some .pdfs for sale of designs that were previously only available on Sublime Stitching's tote bags. Jenny has also released another pattern sheet from her artist collaboration series, transferring Ryan Berkley's gorgeous animal heads to stitch. I love Claudia Marchan's stitching of this pattern, which appeared in the Flickr embroidery pool recently.

And just squeezing in one more pattern from a Feeling Stitchy blogger, Beefranck (Bridget) in collaboration with Mr X Stitch and Julie Jackson from Subversive Cross Stitch released an alternative Royal Wedding sampler at the end of last year for the Independent, admire its gorgeousness here and download for free if you fancy stitching your own memento.

February Vintage Pattern Stitchalong!

Hi guys! Are you ready for our first stitchalong ever? Now for those of you who don't know what to expect, don't worry! The truth is, I've never done a stitchalong, either, so I'm just making this up as I go along. :)

The basic idea is: we'll all create something based on that lovely vintage pattern above (generously scanned and added by Claudia) - get the pattern here. You can work the whole design, part of the design, or modify it in any way you wish! You'll have the entire month of February to stitch this in whatever way you like and add it to the Embroidery pool.

As we go along, I'll be here to answer questions, show you my progress bit by bit, and feature your awesome work as you add it to the pool. That sound fun? I hope so! :)

So, here we go, week 1 of our stitchalong!


Step 1: Transfer the pattern to your fabric.

Here's a very quick and easy way, if you have a computer screen:


I slipped my fabric over my laptop screen and traced the pattern with a pencil.
Edit: Be sure to be very careful and press very lightly when tracing. If you think your screen might in any way be damaged by light pressure, don't do it! A printout is much cheaper than a new computer screen. :)

You can also use a transfer pencil (or transfer pen) - see my tutorial
Or, print the pattern, tape it to a bright window, hold your fabric up to trace over it.
Or, use transfer paper (or carbon paper).
Just a few ideas - be sure to share if you have any better ones!


Step 2: Choose your colors

This step actually takes up A LOT of time for me. I also find myself plucking out stitches and re-stitching, so don't feel bummed if you end up doing the same.

I started off with 4 bright colors to complement the really bright fuschia fabric I'd be working on:




Step 3: Open Lazy Daisy stitches

I started off with the open-looking Lazy Daisy stitches along the outside of the large flower (they look sort of like little horseshoes:






Need step-by-step directions for Lazy Daisy stitches? Here you go!
Stitch School: Lazy Daisy or detached chain stitch
Needle n' Thread: Lazy Daisy stitch (video)

Here's the finished outer row of open Lazy Daisy stitches:



Step 4: More Lazy Daisy stitches

Next, I did the inner row of Lazy Daisy's which are your regular, closed variety:


Last, I did the inside row:


Whew! That was a lot of pictures and stitching!

How is your stitching going?

If you join us, be sure to add your pictures to the Embroidery pool and tag them: FebStitchalong so I can find them! Remember you can stitch this in any way you like - I'd love to see any creative ways you use this pattern! Let's see some stitching! :)

Gorgeous details

Stitched by Wendymoon Designs

Isn't this gorgeous? I adore all the tiny details in this Fat Quarterly pattern stitched by Wendymoon. Beautiful!

What's All the Hoopla About?

I am constantly amazed by all the wonderful stitchy members over at Craftster. The Hoopla Swap started with one round and is now one of the most popular swaps on the site.

Round 1 was unbelievable.....

Round 2 was even bigger...

Round 3 blew the roof off! 

I can't wait to see what round 4 has in store for us!

Wanna Stitchalong With Us?

We couldn't help but be inspired by the awesome Doodle Stitchalong last month, and if there was one thing that you guys requested when we asked you what you wanted to see more of - it was stitchalongs!

So, wanna stitchalong with me this month for Feeling Stitchy's first-ever stitchalong?

Yes? Well then you'll need this vintage pattern, generously shared with us by Claudia of Stitchado:

Ready? Collect your ideas, threads, and your fabric and be ready to meet me again this Friday for the first part of our first-ever February stitchalong!!! :)

Mossy stitches

Forever Moss Hanging Globe Terrarium, originally uploaded by keykalou.

What a wonderful way to use embroidery stitches, don't you think?

So simple and sweet. Very inspiring!

Winner Time!

 We have a winner! And whoa, you guys have been scarred by many, many, many weird crafts. Creepiest on our list, as one of our commenters so succinctly summarized, is "anything involving tampons, taxidermy and toilet paper rolls..."

Also on the weird shortlist were crocheted genitalia, embroidered human hair, and things made with pet hair (dead or otherwise.) Sheesh! For the full list of weirdest craft sightings ever, check the comments on our post. For pictures, try Regretsy.


And our random winner is.....
Starling said...

Oooh! I love Amy Sedaris!

The weirdest craft/art project I have ever seen is a stuffed animal tree. It's a tree stump in my neighborhood to which a woman has stapled (yes, stapled) hundreds of stuffed animals. I thought it was really creepy at first, but then our local paper explained the story behind it (https://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/274037). Still a little weird, but more weird-kooky-fun than weird-creepy-psychotic when you know the story.

January 28, 2011 10:13 AM

Okay Starling, you know the drill, email me at unfloresita AT gmail DOT com and we'll get your free copy of Simple Times mailed out to you! Thanks everybody - stay weird! :)

Patterns: Cuckoo Clock

Cuckoo Clock Close Up stitched by Aimee Ray

Aimee Ray has done it again with this cute woodland themed cuckoo clock pattern. You can purchase the pattern in her shop here. The .pdf pattern comes with an additional sheet of clock hands you can embroider onto the clock if you want to or if you wanted to you could follow Aimee's free tutorial on her blog to add real clock hands!

What's This? Another Giveaway!

Yup, that's right Feeling Stitchy readers. Apparently, we haven't given you enough stuff this month. Thanks to the good people at Hachette Books, we're giving away one free copy of Amy Sedaris' thoroughly bizarre and hilarious Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People!

Make no mistake - this isn't exactly a craft book - I mean if you're looking for instructions and patterns and anything to explain how to actually put things together, you won't find it here. But if you are looking for a thoroughly irreverent, strange book full of laugh-out-loud weirdness, this is the book for you. With headings like: How to roast hot dogs on a rake (p.228), Chorizo neck warmer (p. 262), a chapter entitled "The Joy of Poverty" and a special Crafting Under the Influence section, it's clear that this is not your average craft book. :)

Hilarious weirdness notwithstanding, this book is beautifully photographed and filled with wonderful embroidered details by artist Megan Whitmarsh. You know, I couldn't help but be inspired by this book - maybe next time it can include a few actual patterns for us crafters? That's my only suggestion. :)

So here are the rules for this giveaway:
-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
-No P.O. Boxes, please.
-Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, so if they win the same title in two or more contests, they will receive only one copy of the title (or one set in the case of grouped giveaways) in the mail.

Edit: 1/31/11, 9 AM - Comments closed - winner announced soon!!!! So, leave a comment here by Monday morning, 9 AM Central time, if you'd like to win a free copy of Amy Sedaris' Simple Times! And, for fun, why not tell us about the weirdest craft you've ever seen? :)

Feeling Stitchy Poll winners!

Some of my own stitches! French knots and back stitches on patterned fabric.

Many thanks to all the Feeling Stitchy readers who took the time to comment in last weeks Feeling Stitchy Poll! As promised we have drawn two winners from the 65 entries. The Castle Peeps Sampler will be send to Emily (Flossbox) and Linda J. wins the Sweet Posy Pattern. Please contact me at followthewhitebunny [at] e-tropolis [dot] nl for your home address (Emily) and your email address (Linda).

It was great to read all your ideas and suggestions to make our blog (even) more awesome. Stitch-a-longs, free patterns, interviews and tutorials for stitches were mentioned often. The Feeling Stitchy team is  discussing all your comments (which is quite a challenge as we are on different continents and in different time zones) and I'm pretty sure you will soon notice some new features on the blog!

Your project in a book? Maybe! Read on!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to throw this out there for anyone who may have some examples of creative mending you have done. It could be in a book! Did that get your attention? Kristin Roach of Craft Leftovers is writing a book about creative mending and she's looking for great examples and techniques to possibly be in the book.

From Craft Leftovers:
To submit your best example of a creative mending technique, please send: a close-up photo jpeg of your finished work (a scrap piece of fabric is fine—it doesn’t need to be a full piece of clothing or finished object) along with the submission form by January 26. Multiple examples of interesting work are very welcome!

Short notice, so get your skates on! Head over to Craft Leftovers and check out exactly what you have to do.

Patterns: Water Penny

Mushrooms knitting by DanaK~WaterPenny

This very cute, free pattern of some knitting mushrooms (which you can download on the Water Penny blog here) got me into investigating some more of Dana's patterns in her Etsy shop and I totally fell in love with her repeating cast of characters of a unicorn, a cat and their various friends. I think her designs would be perfect for kids' rooms and those who are still happily young at heart. They prompted me to stitch this particular Water Penny pattern for my daughter.

It was a very fun pattern to stitch, although as I was using a thinner white fabric than I usually use I really should have embroidered through two pieces of fabric instead of one, to stop those pesky black threads from showing through!

Schoolgirl Embroidery

This is a bit of a break away from the colorful, non-traditional and whimsical stitching we all love here on Feeling Stitchy, but I thought this would be of interest.

The Florence Griswold Museum is currently displaying (only until January 30th!) an exhibition called "With Needle and Brush: Schoolgirl Embroidery of the Connecticut River Valley"

The Connecticut River Valley was one of the most important centers in America for the teaching and production of embroidered pictures by girls and young women in private academies during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As the first exhibition to examine the subject of Connecticut River Valley needlework in depth, With Needle and Brush contributes to the understanding of the traditions of needlework and provides insight into the nature of women’s schooling before the advent of widespread public education. Guest-curated by needlework experts Carol and Stephen Huber, this exhibition of approximately seventy embroideries, watercolor sketches, and portraits will draw extensively on works from private collections, many never before shown publicly.

I love the example above- which I think is a "mourning embroidery". If any of our readers are in Old Lyme, Connecticut and have a chance to see this, let us know about it!

Link

Antler-ed Bunny (and a bit about Embroidery Needles too)

What a wonderful fresh and cute design Katie has made. I especially love the abundance of running stitches and the different coloured French Knots on top of Bunny's Antlers!

Many thanks for all your kind comments in the Feeling Stitch Poll (see post below). It's a lot to take in for us but we hear you! There is still time to comment by the way.

Also, a couple of readers mentioned they were wondering about Embroidery Needles. For my own embroideries I generally prefer a needle that is quite sharp, not too large but with a big enough eye so you can thread it easily. A needle that is too blunt or big will leave holes in you fabric. An eye that is too small for the number of strands you use will damage your floss. Buy a pack with various sizes embroidery needles and try and see what works best for you. However... I saw this Needle Magnet (with Needles) on Sublime Stitching the other day and these look exactly like my kind of needle! If you want to know more about needles, there's was a wonderful guest  post written about Embroidery Needles a couple of years ago, you can find it here on our blog.